There has never been a better time to think about earning your BSN degree!

As part of a greater move towards dynamic, competent health care, Connecticut is looking at an 80% BSN workforce by the year 2020. Even now, 78.6% of all healthcare employers express a strong preference for BSN graduates, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

A recent State Department of Labor survey of private sector Connecticut employers in fall 2014 revealed 1,763 openings for registered nursing positions. And that number grew from 1,677 vacancies ten years earlier! Vacancies for nurses are on the rise, and BSN degrees help set job seekers apart.

In addition to the major core requirements for a BSN degree, students should expect to complete general education prerequisites. At Goodwin College, students are required to complete 46 general education credits, including 40 general education college core credits and 6 in program-specific general education courses. This education includes general writing, computer literacy, communications, and sciences.

Students will take courses that cover how to research, write, and think critically on their feet — skills that are the foundations needed for the expanded job opportunities available to BSN graduates. Those in Goodwin’s BSN program will also learn how to promote general health amongst diverse populations. It’s important for nurses to understand the challenges of varied populations, and how they can help individuals from multiple communities.

Goodwin College’s BSN program is designed around students’ busy lifestyles, and can be completed part-time in 16 months or tailored to meet students’ specific needs. The program can be taken online or in a hybrid format. Graduates of the program are prepared to practice in a variety of areas with knowledge and skills that are transferrable to multiple settings.

After completing the BSN degree program, Goodwin graduates will be able to:

• Practice professional nursing from a holistic, visionary, culturally competent, fiscally responsible base, as they design, manage, and coordinate care for individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.
• Synthesize and apply knowledge from nursing theory, practice, research, and the liberal arts and sciences to professional nursing practice.
• Integrate and demonstrate beginning leadership and management skills utilizing critical and creative thinking, ethical decision making, and evidenced-based practice.
• Design, manage, and coordinate care to patients, families, groups, and communities utilizing communication skills honed by self-awareness and self-evaluation.
• Advocate for patients, families, groups, and communities based on a respect for cultural diversity and an understanding of the impact of political and regulatory process on health care.
• Collaborate and communicate, using a variety of modalities, with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team members to maximize patient’s level of wellness.
• Make a commitment to lifelong learning by assuming responsibility for professional career planning, advanced education, and active membership in the profession.

Interested in learning more about Goodwin College? Learn more today, or check out all of our nursing programs to see why we’re a leader in healthcare education in CT! You can also interact with us on Facebook or Twitter!